Trailing by seven points late in the third quarter, the UCSB women’s basketball team found an offensive rhythm to go with a stingy defense that pushed the Gauchos to a 78-70 overtime victory over Cal State Fullerton Saturday at the Thunderdome.
UCSB improves to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in Big West play. Fullerton fell to 6-7 and 1-2 in conference play.
“It’s so good to be able to gut one out the way we did,” head coach Bonnie Henrickson told Noozhawk.
“The way we took the loss Thursday (against Long Beach State), I am so proud of this group for how they bounced back, because that loss was disappointing and it was a look-in-the-mirror game for all of us, myself included. I’m really proud of the group and the maturity that they showed to be able to be better like they were today.”
Guard Danae Miller was outstanding for the Gauchos Saturday, sparking the team on both sides of the ball at crucial times.
The senior put forth a strong, all-around effort with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. She also achieved her 400th career assist as a Gaucho.
Miller also iced the game in the overtime period, knocking down nine of the team’s 11 points in the extra frame.
“She carried us. She carried us in a little run before the half, she carried us in the end, making her free throws,” Henrickson said.
Junior forward Ila Lane was also strong, adding to her conference-leading five double doubles this season with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance.
For the majority of the game, the Titans were in control. They jumped to a 9-2 lead to start the contest and shot 16-for-26 from the field in the first half, including two makes from deep.
Moreover, Cal State Fullerton was doing it as a team, with seven of the team’s nine player roster scoring at least two points.
“They were scoring all their points from the paint,” said Henrickson. “We weren’t disciplined. We got caught staring at the ball, and we weren’t doing what we had to do.
“Everyone is going to shoot a high percentage if all their shots are from the paint.”
But the Gauchos hung around, shooting 15-30 in the first half to trail by just one, 34-33, heading into the break.
The Titans made 7-of-12 from the field in the third quarter and took a seven-point lead with just over two minutes left in the frame. But the Gauchos forced misses on the next four possessions to spark a comeback.
Freshman Kennedy Johnson scored all five of her points during a 7-0 run to close out the third quarter, helping UCSB tie the score at 50-50.
“What immediately jumps off today is the runs we made before half to tie the game,” Henrickson said, also praising Johnson’s performance in the third quarter.
“We changed the style of play a bit, and we were just more aggressive, more dialed in and our activity level at the defensive end was just higher.”
The final 10 minutes were a back-and-forth contest.
Junior transfer guard Alexis Tucker gave UCSB its first lead of the contest with 9:40 remaining in the fourth. Tucker was again a huge spark plug off the bench, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while adding five boards.
The teams continued trading baskets and kept it a one-possession game until Miller knocked down her second three-point shot of the game to put UCSB up 65-61 with 1:22 left in the contest.
The Titans responded with two quick drives to the basket to tie the game up at 65-65 with 46 seconds left. The layups were made by freshman guard Lily Wahinekapu and junior guard Fujika Nimmo, the Titans’ leading scorers with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
After Lane missed two free throws, UCSB forward Lauren Lee fought for the rebound board and was fouled, giving the team two more chances at the line.
Lee got shaken up on the interaction, and senior forward Taylor Mole came in and sank both free throws. Henrickson said Lee was fine after the game.
Nimmo responded with another driving layup to tie the score at 67.
Mole missed the Gauchos’ final shot, sending the game into overtime.
UCSB dominated in the extra period, led by Miller who went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, where the team struggled in the fourth quarter.
For the game, Santa Barbara shot just 15-for-25 from the charity stripe.
“We typically are a pretty good free-throw shooting team, so to leave that many was tough. We certainly got to get some more reps and get some confidence no doubt,” Henrickson said.
Defensively, the Gauchos turned it up when they needed it most. Fullerton shot 54% from the field through the first four quarters but was held to 1 of 7 in the overtime.
“To win one on the road at Poly, learn a tough lesson at home against Long Beach and win the way we did tonight, it’s all about learning,” Henrickson said.
“You learn a lot more from losses, but sometimes it’s got to be learned from wins, too. “Every game is a big game in this league. Next up is Davis who has had a great run in this league the last few years, so we have to play that game tough, but be ready for our Saturday game as well. One can’t affect the other.”
UCSB travels to UC Davis on Thursday.